[Editor's Note: This is part 9 and the final of a series of articles on the Grant County Commission work session on Sept. 12, 2023 and the regular meeting on Sept. 14, 2023.. This article continues with the review of the regular meeting agenda at the work session and decisions made at the regular meeting.]

By Mary Alice Murphy

Continuing the review of the Sept. 14, 2023 regular meeting agenda at the Sept. 12, 2023, work session, the next item on the agenda addressed county asset deletion. County Manager Charlene Webb turned the item over to Procurement Officer Veronica Rodriguez who said two vehicles would go up for auction and two vehicles from the Sheriff's Office are too damaged, so they will be up for scrap, but other capital items such as computers would be thrown away. One airport vehicle will be transferred to the Road Department, and one vehicle from the Detention Center to the Road Department, and a portable building from Hachita to the Detention Center.

Commissioners approved the deletions and transfers at the regular meeting.

The next item considered the fiscal year 2024 Corre Caminos budget. Corre Caminos Director Kim Dominguez said at the work session that the service has been fully staffed for most of the year. "I want to thank Randy (Hernandez, planning department director) for giving us a heads up on road construction, which has been very helpful. We are on track to finish the fiscal year with a bit over 63,000 rides. We finished last year with 61,700, so it's a bit of an increase. We received two new vans about two weeks ago, with one for Deming demand and one for Grant County demand. We still have one from fiscal year 2022 on order. Buses and transit units are so backlogged, it's the same one we were waiting on last time I was here. The two we received were off the lot and smaller transit vans. We have been awarded a bus for fiscal year 2024, but we have no clue when we will get it. Right now, they are saying 18 months out. I am working with Randy and Jason (Lockett, facilities and grounds superintendent) to get our last four bus shelters up and installed within the next couple of months or maybe six months. I gave you the 2023 budget to compare with what we're asking for in 2024. We project that we will end 2023 right on budget. We have budgeted an increase for the dispatch clerk and a 5 percent per hour increase for all drivers. This will set our regular drivers at $14.68 an hour and our CDL drivers at $15.47 per hour. That will move all drivers into the mid-range of our salary scale. The only full-time and part-time salaries that are actual employees are the director, me, and in operations, the supervisor, dispatch and drivers are all employees."

She noted the resolution for financial support from the county was on the agenda as well. "That hasn't changed from $80,000 for the county match."

Commissioners approved the budget at the regular session.

The following item considered the New Mexico Human Services Department Safety Net Care Pool payment program certification for the local government entity participation for the first quarter of fiscal year 2024, at an amount of a little over $105,000, which comes from gross receipts tax.

Commissioners approved the payment at the regular meeting.

Under agreements, the first one addressed the Law Enforcement Recruitment and Retention grant agreement between the NM Department of Finance and Administration Local Government Division and Grant County in the amount of $187,500.

Commissioners approved the grant agreement at the regular meeting.

The following agreement addressed the appropriation agreement from the NM DFA for the FY2023 federal matching fund in the amount of $1,140,881. Webb said the 25 percent match was totally funded in this agreement.

Commissioners approved the agreement.

An additional appropriation agreement from NM DFA in the amount of $1 million was approved for the Black Fire Response and Restoration Fund. Webb said the appropriation was for $2 million and Grant and Sierra counties were the only applicants, so it was split between the two counties. "We intend to use part of it for the design of the Hamilton Bridge and the rest for the acequias.
District 2 Commissioner Eloy Medina asked about McKnight Road. Webb said it is not county-owned. Medina asked if the county could sit down with the Forest Service and figure out something. Webb agreed to do that.

District 3 Commissioner Alicia Edwards asked why the NM Department of Transportation had refused to fund Hamilton Bridge. Webb indicated that she was frustrated by that refusal. "It seems to me that warm and fuzzy projects are being funded. It's frustrating to me because county residents are being stranded. We pled our case, but it didn't rank high enough locally. I asked Priscilla (Lucero, Southwest New Mexico Council of Governments) for help in getting it addressed from an emergency point of view. She said she would try."

Hernandez said it was not just the four counties, but municipalities were involved in the DOT District 1 decisions. "Hamilton Bridge was at the bottom."

Edwards said she was baffled by the decision.

Webb said it was even more baffling to her because when she worked in Sierra County, a similar bridge project was funded. "Maybe the criteria can be updated."

Edwards said maybe the residents that are being stranded need to be directed to be vocal. "Do we have Plan B for Hamilton Bridge?"

Webb said it is at the top of the priority list for bond funding. "Once we make the repairs, we can get reimbursed by Homeland Security at 75 percent. Repairs are critical for the health, safety and welfare of our residents."

"We have to spend an extensive amount of our bond money for something the DOT won't fund," Edwards said. "That's incredible."

Ponce asked who the peers for the county on this DOT funding are. Hernandez said municipalities, but the criteria is toward tourism and trails.

"Then why did the DOT push us to apply?" Edwards asked.

"If you look at the TPF," Webb said, "other bridges got funded. Priscilla thinks the criteria need to be changed."

Ponce said any criteria should address the health, safety and well-being of the residents. "Getting law enforcement or emergency services to them should be a priority. I don't understand."

Webb agreed and said she was frustrated at the project getting rated so low.

Commissioners approved the $1 million in funding.

The next four agreements of capital appropriation projects funded by NM DFA local government division were approved at the regular meeting. The four address the plan, design, construct, furnish and equip for 1) a crisis intervention facility in Grant County in the amount of $1 million; 2) improvements to the County fairgrounds in the amount of $75,000; 3) security systems at the Sheriff's Office for $500,000; and 4) a community center in Gila in the amount of $325,000.

Ponce noted that each year at the legislative session they say: "But you aren't spending the money we appropriated last year. This is September and we are just now getting the agreements. How are we supposed to get it spent by the end of the year? I am frustrated."

"So are we," Webb said.

Under resolutions, commissioners approved the county match of $80,000 to Corre Caminos.

The next resolution addressed the FY 2024 budget adjustment requests from Financial Officer Linda Vasquez. She listed the various items, which included receipts and expenses for grants. Commissioners approved the BAR at the regular meeting.

The last resolution certified the property tax rates in mills that had been presented earlier in the work session meeting.

Commissioners approved the certification at the regular meeting.

At the regular meeting, commissioners recessed as the Board of Commissioners and convened as the Grant County health Claims Board to approve indigent health claims in the amount of $1,509.54.

After adjourning from the health care claims board and reconvening as the Board of Commissioners, Webb said the regular meeting agenda at that point addresses commissioner reports and and executive session with pending litigation by Johann Cramer v. the Board of County Commissioners; a real property issue; and strategic and long-range business planning for Gila Regional Medical Center.

District 5 Commissioner Harry Browne asked if that was the joint meeting with the Board of Trustees. Webb said: "No, but I'm in the process of setting that up to occur at least semi-annually."

Browne asked if they would hear a quarterly report, and Webb said she would ask Trustee Chair Dr. Fred Fox to give a report at the Sept. 26 special meeting.

During work session commissioner reports, Medina had nothing. Edwards said she appreciated the broadband map. "But it doesn't cover the served areas, but shows lots of unserved dots. That would cost us millions."

Ponce during his work session commissioner report thanked staff and all directors for their reports. "Thank you for the leadership by our county manager. I appreciate the work of the Detention Center, as well as the IT director Adam Baca.

During commissioner reports at the regular meeting, Edwards said "There is a lot to unpack on ARPA. I thank (District 4) Commissioner (Billy) Billings (who was not present) for his questions. They give us an opportunity to consider every possibility. It must be awful for county staff to hear us pick apart their work [on the WNM Communications projects]. We asked Manager Webb to come back to Grant County because we trust her to help us make decisions for the health, safety and welfare of our residents. I want to assure you that our questioning is not to blame you for anything. Our responsibility is to do due diligence. I want to point out that it is less that 1 percent of grant funding that WNM has requested for this project. For instance, ADA would be an incredible amount larger. I don't want to live in a world where we are parsing out costs per person. This should be a public utility—access to adequate internet access. We cannot deny it to anyone. But there are many factors why we don't want the county to be in the utility business. I really appreciate that WNM will be providing at least 75 mbps (megabytes per second) and cost users $5. If someone put in a dish service, they would have to negotiate sending a signal to Fierro. and it would cost $100 or more a month. That's not feasible. County staff is doing the due diligence. WNM Communications has put in almost $200 million of federal taxpayer money into these projects."

On another topic, Edwards said she was struck by "Rachel Sierra saying they had no deaths from domestic violence this year. I'm waiting for the day when no one is in the shelter this year."

Medina at the regular meeting, said in his report that he appreciated the approval of broadband service to Fierro. He mentioned the Community Partnership for Children ColorFun Run that weekend. "I thank the county staff for all their time put into these projects, and then we tear them apart. We need to trust the staff and their efforts."

Browne said he was not "dissing our staff. When I was staff at a school, I appreciated the deep questions. I want us to spend taxpayer dollars wisely, and I have zero intention of disrespecting county staff." He announced the Sept. 17 march against fossil fuels from 2-4 p.m. "I consider that a top issue for our children and grandchildren. We cannot put more CO2 into the atmosphere. I support the end of fossil fuels."

Ponce thanked Crystal Arellano for answering the phone when he called and "I wish you well. I have the feeling you'll be back. In a couple of years, three of the five commissioners will term out. We don't agree on everything, but I see that all of us as elected officials take into account our constituents. I've learned to be open-minded, and we do our best for Grant County. I think the people in Pinos Altos deserve better broadband. I appreciate all your questions, and I thank county staff, the manager and our attorney for keeping us on track."

He said they expected no action from the executive session.

[Editor's Note: This completes the Sept. 12. work session and Sept. 14 regular meeting.]

For previous articles, please visit https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/80266-grant-county-commission-holds-work-session-0912223-part-1  ; https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/80291-grant-county-commission-work-session-091223-part-2 ; https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/80329-grant-county-commission-work-session-091223-and-regular-meeting-part-3 ; https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/80357-grant-county-commission-work-session-091223-and-regular-meeting-091423-part-4  ; https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/80432-grant-county-commission-work-session-091223-and-regular-meeting-091423-part-5 ; and https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/80466-grant-county-commission-work-session-091223-and-regular-meeting-091423-part-6  ; https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/80483-grant-county-commission-work-session-091223-and-regular-meeting-091423-part-7  ; and https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/80498-grant-county-commission-work-session-091223-and-regular-meeting-091423-part-8  .